29.3.12

Just
outside Paris, in the suburb of Asnières-sur-Seine, you can find what is said
to be the oldest pet cemetery in the world, officially called “Le Cimetière des
Chiens” (The Dog Cemetery), but where since 1899 some 40-50.000 not only dogs,
but also cats, horses, rabbits, a monkey, a lion, even a fish… are buried.

The place
is quite beautiful, situated along the Seine River, on what once was an island.
The entrance is imposing in art nouveau style.

You find
some monuments and some monumental graves. Close to the entrance is a monument
dedicated to the Saint Bernard dogs in general, and more particularly to “Barry”,
supposed to have saved the lives of 40 people. (“Barry” himself can be found stuffed
and on display at the Swiss Natural History Museum in Bern.)

There are a
number of really serious-looking tombs, but some of them reflect a lot of imagination
and – of course – love. You can e.g. find some toys, including worn out tennis
balls. Some dogs have been heroes during wars, some are known as "actors"... On many graves you can read "To my only friend".

The most
famous dog buried here is probably “Rin Tin Tin”. He was found, in bad shape,
by an American soldier during WWI, who brought him to the States. Darryl Zanuck
heard about the story and made “Rin Tin Tin” to a movie star during the 1920’s.
Some successful films starring “Rin Tin Tin” were even said to have saved
Warner Bros. from bankruptcy and he has got his star on Hollywood Boulevard (Walk of Fame). “Rin
Tin Tin” obviously died in the arms of Jean Harlow, in 1932, and his remains
were returned to his homeland. “Rin Tin Tin’s” sons, grandsons… later starred in
other films and especially in a long lasting television series.

Recently,
there was news about an expensive diamond encrusted dog collar, which had been
stolen from the grave of a poodle, named “Tipsy”. The grave now looks fine again,
but obviously the collar has not yet been found.

I was a bit
confused when I found this tomb. (Well, I wasn’t born in 1999.)

23 comments:

Peter, being an avid animal lover [I could just see myself having an epitaph for my horse, saying "My one, true love" ] I absolutely love this posting. The cemetery itself looks so beautiful and serene. Thank you so very much for your photos and insights!!!

What lovely tribute to people's pets. And as always, the photos are lovely. Just one correction, Rin Tin Tin's star is on Hollywood Blvd. and not Sunset Blvd. All the movie, TV and radio stars are on what is known as the Walk Of Fame and that is Hollywood Blvd.Cheers,Stephan

I'm glad you finally got there Peter, I told you it was a dear little place. When I posted my first photo , it was the day after dear Tipsy's grave had been robbed and a reader commented and linked to Le figaro. The name rang a bell and I looked in my 'stash" and found a great shot of his grave! Unfortunately Le Figaro was not too interested in paying me some euros for my photo! :( I see they have it roped off now. I'll post one of a cat there tomorrow. Looked just like my Meeps. Of course I'll link to your post! :) V

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My previous blog, PHO, was in operation for a year as from March 2007. It contains similar posts as this one, basically talking about different well known or more secrete sites in Paris. You can reach it by clicking HERE.